Chapter 171: The Demon’s Three Questions

“You tell me… can a man become a magical girl?”

Her heart clenched violently in her chest.

A man… a magical girl?

What was this guy… talking about?

Could it be that he already—

“No need to guess. I know who you are.”

The man pressed close behind her ear, his voice low and elegant.

“Dawn Company, C-Zone, Team One. Lin Yu. C-rank magical girl. Codename: [Ice Crystal].”

The cold blade gently rubbed against that thin layer of skin, sending a shuddering sting through her.

“And I’ve been watching you for a long time, silly child.”

“…What exactly do you want?”

Lin Yu gritted her teeth, forcing herself to calm down.

Every muscle in her body was stretched taut, ready for a fight to the death.

“You bastard… are you some Abyss Gospel Society cultist? Don’t think I’m afraid of you—I’m telling you, my coworkers are already on their way! If you dare—”

“Shh—”

A finger in a black leather glove suddenly appeared in front of Lin Yu, lightly pressing against her trembling, cherry-colored lips.

“Quiet, miss… oh no, sir.”

The man chuckled softly, utterly unhurried.

“Didn’t I say it just now? This is merely an interesting little Q&A game.”

“The rules are simple. I ask, you answer.”

“As long as you answer these three questions to my satisfaction…”

“I’ll let you go.”

“Let me… go?”

“That’s right. A gentleman’s word is his bond.”

The dagger in his hand loosened slightly, yet the invisible killing intent only grew thicker.

“So, listen carefully. The first question—”

“As a man, after obtaining this magical girl’s body… how does it feel?”

Lin Yu froze.

She had imagined countless possibilities.

That he might interrogate her for company secrets, demand a ransom, or simply kill her outright.

But she never would have imagined that this mysterious man would go to such lengths to corner her here just to ask something so… so absurd, like some gossip-hungry tabloid reporter.

“…Boring.”

Lin Yu clenched her teeth and forced out a few words through them.

“It feels like nothing.”

“Heh—”

The man let out a disdainful snort, as if he had anticipated this answer all along.

“Such an dishonest child. Since you’re unwilling to say it, then let me speak the answer hidden in your heart…”

He lowered his head, his lips nearly brushing Lin Yu’s ear, his voice thick and sticky.

“Is it shame? Is it conflict? Is it fear… or perhaps, beneath that layer of disguise, there’s a trace of indulgence you don’t even dare admit to yourself?”

“Y-You’re talking nonsense!”

Lin Yu’s face instantly flushed bright red.

“I don’t have any of that! Stop pretending you understand me!”

“Nonsense?”

The man wasn’t angry at all. Instead, he sounded as if he’d heard a joke.

“Who exactly is talking nonsense? Mr. Lin, search your heart.”

“When you first put on that skirt, didn’t shame make you want to crawl into a crack in the ground?”

“When you sold this body to fight for money, weren’t you wracked with conflict?”

“When you lived every day like a thief, afraid your identity would be exposed, weren’t you drowning in fear?”

“But…”

His voice suddenly dropped, sharp enough to pierce the soul.

“When you wielded that extraordinary power, when you enjoyed the benefits brought by the identity of a magical girl, when you realized this body could give you experiences you’d never had before…”

“Can you really say that, deep down, not even for a single second…”

“That you didn’t feel… this isn’t so bad after all?”

“You—”

Lin Yu opened her mouth, only to realize she couldn’t refute a single word.

This guy—

Did this guy know mind reading?!

“Relax. I don’t know any mind-reading tricks. I’ve just… observed you for a very long time.”

The man seemed quite satisfied with her reaction.
He lightly tapped Lin Yu’s cheek with the dagger, as if soothing a frightened pet.

“Alright. The answer to the first question is already obvious.”

“Now then, the second question.”

“How do you view… the profession of magical girls?”

“How do I view it?”

Lin Yu took a deep breath, forcing down the panic in her chest, and replied with feigned toughness.

“How else am I supposed to view it? It’s just a job! High pay, not much work, close to home—what, is that not allowed?”

“Heh heh… exactly the answer I expected. Practical, petty wisdom.”

The man chuckled and shook his head.

“But Mr. Lin, have you ever wondered… why the pay for magical girls is so high?”

“Because…”

Lin Yu instinctively wanted to answer “because it’s dangerous,” or “because they’re rare.”

But before the words could leave her mouth, the man interrupted.

“Because the job is dangerous? Because you have to risk your life? Heh… that’s a reason, yes—but not the most important one.”

He spoke quietly, with a trace of eerie pity in his tone.

“Have you not noticed… in your so-called glamorous company, there are almost no older magical girls?”

“……!”

Lin Yu’s heart lurched.

“You might think it’s because of the Age Curse—that magical girls can only exist during adolescence, and once they grow up, they lose their powers and are forced to retire.”

“But Mr. Lin, have you ever thought about this…”

“Those seniors possessed such rich combat experience, such deep knowledge of fighting pollution…”

“Then why, after they ‘graduate,’ does the company never bring them back as instructors or tactical consultants?”

“Why is it that the ones training you newcomers are always frontline active members, people like Chen Bing, who are still fighting on the battlefield?”

“Those previous generations of magical girls—who once shone, who fought, who protected this city…”

“Where… did they all go?”

“Uh…”

Yeah…

Why?

The company was clearly so understaffed, every mission stretched thin.

Those retired seniors—even if they’d lost the ability to transform, their experience should have been priceless.

Why had she never seen them?

Why had she never even heard of them?

Even on the company’s internal forums, posts about “retired life” were vanishingly rare, as if…

As if the moment they “graduated,” they completely evaporated from this world.

Lin Yu had never really thought about this.

Or rather, she had subconsciously avoided thinking about it.

And now, having it laid bare by this mysterious man…

A deeply unsettling premonition rose within her.

That so-called “honorable retirement,” that promised future of “living happily on saved money”…

Did it really exist?

“It seems you’ve realized something.”

The man didn’t give Lin Yu much time to think.

“This question doesn’t require an answer. You can keep it, and ponder it slowly… on every sleepless night in the future.”

“Next, the final question.”

His voice grew more serious than ever, even carrying a heavy pressure.

“If one day, you discover that you are destined to die—destined to follow in the footsteps of those before you…”

“But your enemy holds in their hands an opportunity to avoid that ending.”

“Would you be willing… to offer up everything you have?”

“Even if it meant betrayal, being despised by the world, even…”

“Falling.”

“Would you be willing… to seize that one and only chance?”

“Huh?”

Lin Yu was completely confused.

What the hell was this old bastard talking about?

Destined to die?

What opportunity?

So mysterious… was this some kind of cult recruitment pitch?

“Heh heh… what a foolish child.”

The cold dagger pressed against her neck finally withdrew.

The gloved hand gently stroked Lin Yu’s soft cheek.

“I bet… you would.”

“Go f*ck your—!!!”

In that instant of opening—

Lin Yu exploded into motion.

She dropped her body low, borrowing the momentum to swing a vicious elbow strike backward!

“Whoever this bastard is, beat him first!”

“Whoosh—”

The elbow strike missed.

But Lin Yu used the chance to roll away, opening up a distance of five meters.

Only then, by the faint glow of a streetlamp, did she finally see the man who had been speaking behind her all this time.

He was unnaturally tall and gaunt.

He wore a pitch-black robe similar to those of the Abyss Chanters, yet far more grotesque.

In the dim rain, the pure black fabric seemed to absorb all light.

Only the dark-red刺纹 at the collar stood out with painful clarity.

On closer inspection, those patterns weren’t ordinary decorations.

They were “human hands,” embroidered in red thread.

They crawled upward from the hem and shoulders of the robe, densely packed, entwining and tearing at one another like countless souls struggling in purgatory—

finally converging at the collar, weaving together into a pair of “blood wings” that looked as if they were about to break free of the flesh and ascend.

Above those blood wings—

was a ghastly white mask.

Like a white singularity, it gazed down upon all the ants of the mortal world.

…

Just a single glance.

Lin Yu felt every hair on her body stand on end.

Danger.

Extreme danger!

This guy…

Was tens of thousands of times more dangerous than that so-called Bliss Angel!

Buzz—!

Without the slightest hesitation—

Survival instinct drove Lin Yu to react at maximum speed.

She raised her right hand sharply.
Pink spiritual particles went berserk, instantly condensing into that crystal longbow gleaming with icy light.

The bowstring was drawn full, the arrowhead aimed straight at the pale mask.

Who the hell… are you?!

Heh heh heh…

Facing an arrow capable of piercing steel, the man only let out a low laugh.

The laughter echoed through the rainy alley.

Child, struggle as much as you like in this mortal world.

You know far too little right now.

But when you truly see the truth of this world…

Will you make… the same choice as your predecessors…?

I look forward to… your answer.

The moment his words fell—

The man’s body turned into a wisp of black smoke, merging without warning into the shadow beneath his feet.

Don’t run—!

Lin Yu instinctively released the bowstring.

Whoosh—BOOM!!!

The pink arrow of light screamed forth, slamming violently into that patch of shadow!

The concrete ground instantly shattered, exploding into a crater several meters wide.

However—

When the dust settled—

There was nothing there.

The mysterious man had vanished without a trace, just as he had appeared.

Only that spine-chilling question lingered in the air.

Splash, splash…

The rain gradually weakened.

Bzzzz…

The contract wristband, which had been offline the whole time, finally lit up green.

“Hello?! Senior?!”

Li Qing’s anxious voice crackled through with static.

“Can you hear me?! Support has arrived! The convention center is secure! How are things on your end?!”

“Hah…”

Hearing her companion’s voice, Lin Yu’s taut nerves finally relaxed.

She let her arm drop limply, the longbow in her hand dissipating as she leaned against the damp wall and exhaled deeply.

“I… I’m fine.”

“The Fallen One… has already been taken care of.”

“That’s good! You scared me to death… wait there, we’ll be there right away!”

The communication cut off.

Lin Yu stared at the massive crater she had blasted open, then looked down at her own clean, pale hands.

For some reason…

That man’s words felt like a thorn, deeply embedded in her mind.

Why were there no elderly magical girls?

Where… did the seniors all go?

Lin Yu shuddered.

Suddenly, she felt that this rain…

Was f*cking cold.

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